Alice Cooper "Live From The Astroturf" (2016 Black Friday Record Store Day single)
The original Alice Cooper band played a surprise reunion show on October 6, 2015 at the indie music store Good Records in Dallas, Texas. Four-fifths of the original lineup – singer Vincent Furnier (whom we now know as Alice Cooper the solo artist), rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith – performed for a crowd of approximately 200 people. Ryan Roxie took the place of original lead guitarist Glen Buxton, who passed away in 1997. Their seven-song set was the longest set the original band had performed in 40 years. For the Black Friday Record Store Day in 2016, a limited edition 7-inch single was issued, containing two songs from that performance. The single, titled Live From The Astroturf, was limited to 2,500 copies, pressed in different colored vinyl variations: 1,150 white, 1,150 pink, 100 black, and 100 split color pink-and-white singles were randomly distributed. The pink-and-white variant contained art prints autographed by the four surviving original members. The single was co-mixed by Bob Ezrin, who produced most of the band’s early-70’s work.
The two songs included on Live From The Astroturf were both drawn from the 1971 breakthrough album Love It To Death. Alice and the band sound great on both tracks, still able to convincingly crank out anthems of teen rebellion well into their 60’s. During their performance of the classic “I’m Eighteen” on the A-side, Cooper ad-libs the line “I gotta get outta here, Mom and Dad caught me drinkin’ beer”, showing that he can still get inside the head of an angst-filled teenager. Their performance of “Is It My Body” on the B-side has all of the rock and roll attitude that the song has always had. Pretty please, boys, you’ve gotta do this again!
11/25/18 Update: Two years later, for Record Store Day Black Friday 2018, a full-length LP containing the full concert was issued under the same title, with the same cover art.
Alice Cooper "Live From The Astroturf" (Good Records GRR33) 2016
Track Listing:
a. Eighteen (aka “I’m Eighteen”)
b. Body (aka “Is It My Body”)
The two songs included on Live From The Astroturf were both drawn from the 1971 breakthrough album Love It To Death. Alice and the band sound great on both tracks, still able to convincingly crank out anthems of teen rebellion well into their 60’s. During their performance of the classic “I’m Eighteen” on the A-side, Cooper ad-libs the line “I gotta get outta here, Mom and Dad caught me drinkin’ beer”, showing that he can still get inside the head of an angst-filled teenager. Their performance of “Is It My Body” on the B-side has all of the rock and roll attitude that the song has always had. Pretty please, boys, you’ve gotta do this again!
11/25/18 Update: Two years later, for Record Store Day Black Friday 2018, a full-length LP containing the full concert was issued under the same title, with the same cover art.
Alice Cooper "Live From The Astroturf" (Good Records GRR33) 2016
Track Listing:
a. Eighteen (aka “I’m Eighteen”)
b. Body (aka “Is It My Body”)
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